tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Apr 19, 2024 19:16:30 GMT -5
I know many of you think I'm at risk of becoming unemployed. But it doesn't look like it. They even approved my vacation for December-January, and they keep assigning me cases. My friend that got laid off. They were encouraged to make project proposal pitches to our unit while management was moving to get my colleague fired. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Agreed. I’ve absolutely seen PTO approved for people that weren’t going to be there when said PTO was scheduled. Employers won’t/can’t tip their hands if they’re working on disciplinary action, or if there will be layoffs.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Apr 19, 2024 19:14:46 GMT -5
The max PTO days at my employer is 20 days, and it took me probably 15 years to get that. We do also get 4 days of STO per year, plus 2 floating holidays (in addition to 6 fixed holidays), so that helps, but my PTO is generally on par with my colleagues at other companies. We can carry over some time (amount increases with tenure and job title), so that helps for employees that want or need to take longer chunks of time off.
We can also flex time within the same pay period, so I rarely use PTO for a 3 (and sometimes 4) day weekend, saving my PTO for longer trips.
I think what the smaller company offers for PTO is likely in line with what you’d get elsewhere, so I wouldn’t let deter you.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Apr 3, 2024 13:33:39 GMT -5
March 2024 update:
ASSETS: Checking/Savings: $246,792 House: $675,000 Retirement: $2,354,221 Brokerage: $90,701 529s: $129,359
DEBTS: $0
Total NW: $3,496,073
As usual, the list above excludes our cars, which are worth around $28k combined, but I leave them out because we're unlikely to sell, and need them to get to/from work, kids schools, etc. in the land of suburbia.
We're up over 3% this month (and I forgot to post a February update, we February was up about 5%). That is mostly retirement/brokerage/529 market gains.
ETA: I received my bonus in February, which bumped up our cash a fair amount. In February and March, I fully funded backdoor Roth IRAs for DH and me, and also added money to each kid's 529 accounts (amount that gets us to the max state tax credit we can get per kid). I also moved money into our brokerage account, so managed to decrease our cash between February and March. But I still need to keep pushing money into the brokerage account.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 17, 2024 14:08:25 GMT -5
Some of my favorites so far this year:
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kaye Albus Family Family by Laurie Frankel Decoding Boys by Cara Natterson Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
Others I enjoyed: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne The Adventurer’s Guild by Zack Loren Clark (11yo son also enjoyed this one) Built to Last by Erin Hahn Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams Little Girls Can Be Mean by Michelle Anthony The Watchmaker’s Daughter (Glass and Steele #1) by CJ Archer (I’m working my way through this series now and only have a few left)
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 17, 2024 13:59:28 GMT -5
I really enjoyed Trevor Noah's book as well! I'm trying to read more this year, and I'm at 17 books so far (to be fair, 5 of them were technically short stories (less than 100 pages). I just finished Matthew McCoughaney's Greenlights, which was pretty good. I really enjoyed The Things We Cannot Say and The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer. Right now, I'm reading Fourth Wing because my DH wouldn't stop telling me that it was all over TikTok. I'm about 75 pages in, and it's going OK so far. What did you think about Fourth Wing? I loved it, thought the second one was okay, and now have to wait who knows how long for the 3rd one to come out.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 17, 2024 13:57:43 GMT -5
Just finished Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I thought I understood Apartheied but the book was a real eye opener from someone who grew up living it. It's a great piece on racism in general. Yes! I really enjoyed that one when I read it a few years ago.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 17, 2024 13:56:49 GMT -5
I'm working on book 2 right now. Also just started reading the Adventurer's Guild with DS. I'm so excited that he is interested in Fantasy/Adventure books and we can share that now. Ooh, I haven’t heard of The Adventurer’s Guild series. I think DS may like it, if I can get him to give it a shot - books I suggest tend to be met with disdain, but he loves Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, etc. I’m going to see if he wants to read it together. DS(11) and I both finished the first Adventurer’s Guild book last week and both enjoyed it. I’m slightly annoyed neither of my local library systems have the second (or third) book in Libby, but we’ll do it the old school way and get the hard copy from the physical library.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Feb 3, 2024 15:30:28 GMT -5
January 2024 update:
ASSETS: Checking/Savings: $227,066 House: $675,000 (finally upped this to be closer to market value; I lasted updated it in 05/21, so it's definitely gone up since then) Retirement: $2,104,914 Brokerage: $74,263 529s: $111,529
DEBTS: $0
Total NW: $3,192,772
As usual, the list above excludes our cars, which are worth around $28k combined, but I leave them out because we're unlikely to sell, and need them to get to/from work, kids schools, etc. in the land of suburbia.
We're up over 5% this month, but most of that is because I revised our house value to be closer in line to what we'd get if we sold it.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2024 17:38:36 GMT -5
I'm back. No specific goals other than send out more than what comes in, and continue to declutter. For starters, I want to make sure I spend at least 5-10 minutes per day that I'm home (so giving myself grace on travel days and days where I go from work to kid stuff to bedtime routine) on decluttering and/or cleaning. I started with decluttering the produce/crisper drawers and bottom shelf in my fridge this morning when the chicken I had marinating leaked all over. That definitely wasn't on my list. Our Christmas decorations are mostly put away, so hoping to finish that tonight. DS(11) went through his pants drawer with me today, and we pulled out all the ones that were too short and/or small. I have those in a bag to drop off at a friend's house for their son, but need DS to go through his shirts drawer first so I can just drop them all off at once.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2024 17:19:32 GMT -5
We are very close to you, ages 43/45, two kids, 10 and 15. Midwest, LCOL. For 2023, DH gross income $220,000. Bonus and RSUs $110,000. My income $0. Total gross income $330,000 I'm planning to circle back and send you a PM. Would be great to compare notes on college search, funding, and places to put future savings. I'll be pinging you both about this in a few years since mine are 11 and 7!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2024 17:18:52 GMT -5
We have similar cash hoarding patterns- I was more intentional this year about at least starting and actively contributing to a post-tax investment account, so cash isn’t up a huge amount, but it’s still up. I added post-tax account too, but my work limits it to $10,500. I guess I should maybe add/start another outside of work but that seems like one more to do. We've only had DH putting in $60/biweekly into his 401k bc his fees are high, limited kinda crappy invst choices, and no company match. I asked him t to bump it to $200 this year. Having it go in pre-tax should way more than offset fees. With his income around $40k, he direct pays so little in taxes and we go back and forth btwn filing joint and separately depending on CPA's numbers. I definitely need to start an advice thread and get community feedback. I've taken advantage of the post-tax account through work the last couple of years, but 2023 was the last year they were offering it ($10k was their max). Boo. But we did also open a taxable account at Vanguard about 18 months ago, so I need to keep plugging away at that. I don't have it set up to auto invest, so maybe I should look at that this year. For now, I just move some money over when I think our cash is too high. But then never end up moving enough over to really offset our cash.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2024 17:16:26 GMT -5
Love the updates, archie and mid! And I'm right there with you on luck and good fortunes - DH isn't a spender, he's super handy around the house, and we've been fortunate to stay employed at good jobs over the years.
And yay for stock options, archie! 11 months after I was invited to the ownership group at my engineering firm, we switched to an ESOP, so while I did okay on the shares I had, it wasn't nearly the gain that others had who held onto stocks for longer, or what it might have been had we not flipped to an ESOP. That said, it's definitely the best move for our employees, and I'm looking forward to seeing what those are worth in 5-10 years once the rest of the company debt is paid off and we keep growing.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2024 17:10:23 GMT -5
Another (sometimes) lurker here - I've joined in before, and always drop the thread partway through the year, so we'll see what happens this year. Loosely, I want to make sure I'm moving/doing something positive for my health at least 2-3 times per week. Whether that is the treadmill in our basement, walking or biking outside, a yoga class or golf when the weather is nicer, I don't care, but I do need to be more active.
I would also like to make better food choices, and make small steps to cut down on the number of unplanned times we eat out each month.
I did get on the treadmill yesterday after the kids went to bed, and signed up for a yoga class on Sunday with the mom of one of my daughter's friends, so at least off to a positive start.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 1, 2024 22:40:41 GMT -5
We have similar cash hoarding patterns- I was more intentional this year about at least starting and actively contributing to a post-tax investment account, so cash isn’t up a huge amount, but it’s still up.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 1, 2024 13:14:09 GMT -5
Recap of 2023 reading. I read 179 books, which is far and away the most books I’ve read in a year since I started tracking via Goodreads in 2011 or so. In 2022, I only read 38 books, and 41 in 2021. Last year I made a conscious effort to spend less mindless time on my phone and try to read more, and it paid off. That said, I also read a ton of free kindle unlimited books that I didn’t love, so gave a to’ of 2* reviews. Here are some of my favorites from 2023:
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer The 1619 Project: A New American Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil You Got Anything Stronger by Gabrielle Union The Reunion by Kayla Olson Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama The Sum of Us; What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 1, 2024 13:08:02 GMT -5
I read Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros last week and LOVED it. And then immediately reread it. The next book just came out and I have it on hold at the library, but will probably cave and buy it instead. We’ll see. In the meantime, I forced myself to read The Five-Star Weekend by Elon Hilderbrand as it is due back to tomorrow, and it was not the best follow up read to Fourth Wing - I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it a few books ago. But seriously, if you like fantasy at all, I highly recommend Fourth Wing. Fantasy isn’t what I gravitate to, but I do love the Harry Potter and Rick Riordan series, so after having multiple people recommend Fourth Wing, I put it on hold at the library and I’m so glad I did (though now I want to buy a copy). I'm working on book 2 right now. Also just started reading the Adventurer's Guild with DS. I'm so excited that he is interested in Fantasy/Adventure books and we can share that now. Ooh, I haven’t heard of The Adventurer’s Guild series. I think DS may like it, if I can get him to give it a shot - books I suggest tend to be met with disdain, but he loves Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, etc. I’m going to see if he wants to read it together.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 1, 2024 1:08:41 GMT -5
Okay, here's a look at years past:
2023: $3,022,626 2022: $2,410,410 2021: $2,877,989 2020: $2,254,715 2019: $1,865,721 2018: $1,485,492 2017: $1,461,814 2016: $1,258,528 2015: $1,079,983 2014: $988,680 2013: $807,355 2012: $616,304 2011: $468,275
DH and I got married in 2010, and mid-2011 is the earliest I have data for.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 1, 2024 0:59:52 GMT -5
Here is my December 2023 update:
ASSETS: Checking/Savings: $226,995 House: $512,700 Retirement: $2,088,809 Brokerage: $73,220 529s: $109,892
DEBTS: $0
Total NW: $3,011,616
As usual, the list above excludes our cars, which are worth around $30k combined, but I leave them out because we're unlikely to sell, and need them to get to/from work, kids schools, etc. in the land of suburbia.
We're up nearly 5% this month, and DH is (for now) in the 2 comma club in his 401k. I've been chasing $3M for a couple of years now, so it is fun to see that milestone, even if it ends up being only temporary.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 29, 2023 16:16:46 GMT -5
I like what you did showing past year’s NW, azucena! I’m going to try to remember to do something similar when I update later this weekend.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 27, 2023 13:21:12 GMT -5
I hope everyone has had a good holiday season so far! Any fun gifts or things that were unexpected hits? DD(7) asked for a SkipIt. I last minute decided to get it and she and DS(11) have both been having a blast with that thing. I even gave it a try, and it must be similar to riding a bike because I could definitely still do it.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 23, 2023 16:11:31 GMT -5
Anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to store any of the following? M (7) is into all the girly things, and it involves tons of little pieces or odds and ends.
Polly Pockets Barbie clothes and accessories Hair bows, scrunchies, barrettes, clips, etc Bracelets, necklaces Headbands
Thanks!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 2, 2023 14:33:07 GMT -5
megaptera - I got the snow here in SE Kansas and it is mostly melted now. Glad you drove through safely! debthaven - yay for reimbursements! I need to get to the grocery store for the one ingredient I need for a recipe but it's so cozy indoors and cold and windy outside. Even the cats are curled up in the sun and under the blankets for warmth. I'll go soon and luckily I put my shoes in front of the space heater after going out in the snow so they should be toasty. Tomorrow at the Christmas parade I should really bring blankets and extra scarves and gloves, it's going to be cold! I forgot you are in SE KS! That’s where I grew up and where my mom still lives (for another week or so), so historically, we’re in that area pretty frequently as it’s only about 2.5 hrs from our house.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 2, 2023 14:02:45 GMT -5
I don’t know if it was the full moon or what this week, but cue all the emotions in DD(7). Like crying over throwing fits over the most stupid stuff. I took her to basketball practice on Monday (I’m the assistant coach) and she didn’t like something I did in a drill (she felt shorter a turn when time was up and we moved to the next thing), and then at bedtime I followed through on a consequence she’d been given - she could go get ready for bed then and not argue with me and I’d read her another book (we’d been reading books for probably 30 minutes already at that point), or she could argue about bedtime and I wouldn’t read another book. She picked argue, and then when she realized I was serious, proceeded to cry and sob for 40 minutes, so she was even more over tired.
Similar crap on Wednesday and Friday nights. And crankiness getting up every morning as well. I know she’s my more emotional child, but this makes me really dread the teen years. 😬
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 30, 2023 23:43:45 GMT -5
MPL - don't look as often, like me and Chiver. My OCD won't let me stop at this point. I have a spreadsheet with monthly NW reporting going back almost 12 years now. I've only missed one month in all those years. It was August 2013 and that blank line still bugs me! It looks better this month!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 30, 2023 23:43:25 GMT -5
Whoops...missed updating in October. I updated in my spreadsheet, but never noted it here. Oh well, it was down, but yay for November being up (finally)!
Here is my November 2023 update:
ASSETS: Checking/Savings: $213,572 House: $512,700 Retirement: $1,972,111 Brokerage: $69,680 529s: $104,737
DEBTS: $0
Total NW: $2,872,800
As usual, the list above excludes our cars, which are worth around $30k combined, but I leave them out because we're unlikely to sell, and need them to get to/from work, kids schools, etc. in the land of suburbia.
We're up about 7% this month. DH is dangerously close to being in the 2 comma club in his 401k, so we'll see what happens next month. He hit that milestone in 2021 for a few months, but hasn't seen it since. And the kids (combined) 529s hit a new milestone, so that's good news.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 24, 2023 23:32:28 GMT -5
I read Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros last week and LOVED it. And then immediately reread it. The next book just came out and I have it on hold at the library, but will probably cave and buy it instead. We’ll see. In the meantime, I forced myself to read The Five-Star Weekend by Elon Hilderbrand as it is due back to tomorrow, and it was not the best follow up read to Fourth Wing - I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it a few books ago.
But seriously, if you like fantasy at all, I highly recommend Fourth Wing. Fantasy isn’t what I gravitate to, but I do love the Harry Potter and Rick Riordan series, so after having multiple people recommend Fourth Wing, I put it on hold at the library and I’m so glad I did (though now I want to buy a copy).
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 24, 2023 23:26:19 GMT -5
I took PTO this week, and DH did for most of the week as well (kids were off all week), so we managed to get some stuff done and some things purged from the house. Still so much to do, but I at least feel like we made progress this week, so I’ll take it.
We also knocked off Christmas gifts for all the nieces and nephews but 2, so that’s a win as well.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 15, 2023 15:37:51 GMT -5
Other: Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati I just finished the last one on your list. What did you think? I didn’t remember anything about her when I started the book, but then was fascinated learning all the Helen of Troy, Odysseus, Agamemnon, etc connections.
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 12, 2023 16:17:49 GMT -5
It’s been awhile since I posted here - I’ve read a to this year, or at least compared to recent years. Mostly romance novels, some action adventure, and some memoir/biography. Some of the ones I’d recommend:
Romance: The Singles Table by Sara Desai Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld The Long Game by Elena Armas The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Memoir/Biography: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Other: Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
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Post by tcu2003 on Nov 12, 2023 15:58:10 GMT -5
Going to gently sneak back in here. I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve lost traction this year, but have not gained much, if any. And after going to mom’s this weekend with DH and my sis and our kids to help mom clean out her house in preparation to move up by sis and I, it was a kick in the pants to get my stuff in order. She had rented a dumpster, and we threw out so much stuff. And this is after her working **slowly** on it over the last year with donating stuff and trashing some things (and sis and I helping anytime we were down there).
I’ve also realized that DH has more of his dad‘a pack rat tendencies than I thought, so there’s also that. Most of his tend to be things like tools, his old clothes/shoes he can wear as yard clothes, etc, but it’s still stuff. And the stuff I want to hold on to tends to be the sentimental stuff. So just have to keep reminding myself I can keep a few things, but no one (including the kids) are going to want most of this stuff. Which is what we’re seeing with my mom. Sis and I don’t want most of the stuff.
Anywho, to keep me at it and hopefully not discouraged, going to set a goal of 15 minutes every day that I’m home (basically acknowledging that I travel a fair amount for work, or if I’m gone all evening for kid activities, I will not worry about it that day and be back at it the next day).
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