Friday work schedule

Shannon worked from 12pm until 7pm at Best Buy.  His security job called him while he was at Best Buy and asked him to come in an hour early to cover, so he's working 10pm until 7am.  He then has to work Saturday at Best Buy from 12pm until 7pm, I believe. 

I started taking a weight loss supplement called Raspberry Ketones.  It is recommended by Dr. Oz.  I am reviewing the product for my other blog.  I am also trying to get back into Turbo Fire.  I strayed from the program about a month ago.  I think I've been doing Turbo Fire for so long.  I am trying to stay motivated.  During the last month, I changed up my routine and rotated between pilates, yoga and Turbo Jam.  There's a new workout program coming out in mid-December but I think I'll wait to see what others are saying about it once it's out. 

Grocery shopping continued

Shannon works this evening from 4:30pm until 10pm.  We had time to go to Walmart for the rest of the grocery shopping.  I bought food for the next week or so for Kyle and I.

Black Friday orders

I received my Black Friday orders!  We received Shannon's black pants yesterday.  He hasn't had the time to try them on.  I want to make sure he likes them and that they fit right.  He will be using them for Best Buy, as well as when we're at home. 

I received my JC Penney's order today!  I tried on my first pair of skinny jeans and love them!  They are so comfortable and fit just fine.  I love my black boots too.  I don't have a full length mirror, so I stood in the bathroom and lifted my leg so I could "see" my boots on my feet and how they look with my skinny jeans!  LOL  I also love my Skechers sneakers!  They fit just perfectly too. 

Walk for groceries

Shannon worked last night from 10pm until 6am at his security job and then he's working 9:30am until 2:30pm at Best Buy.  Soon after he left for work, I left for my walk to get groceries!  It was cold but a nice walk!  Great exercise! 

I picked up as much as I could, considering I had to carry it home.  I bought frozen veggies, macaroni and cheese (for Kyle), blueberries, cottage cheese, rice cakes, cereal and oatmeal.  There is more on my list but I can wait until Shannon can go with me. 

Goodbye Wells Fargo!

We are officially done with Wells Fargo, as of this afternoon.  We went to the bank to close our accounts with them.  We then took the cash to our credit union to deposit! 

Our rent is due this Friday.  Shannon gets paid on Friday (from one of his jobs), which means he will have to transfer some money into our credit union to help cover rent.  Right now, we don't have enough to pay it.  Our money is spread out between two banks.  He still needs to sign up for direct deposit with Best Buy because his money is automatically added to a prepaid credit/debit card that the company issues him. 

Shannon is working crazy hours the rest of the week.  We are pretty much out of food or close to it.  I plan on making a few trips to the grocery store that is down the street.  Since I have to walk, I will have to do a few trips if needed.  I don't want to be stuck carrying 50 pounds of groceries home. 

Haircut!

I just got back from getting my hair cut!  The last time I had my hair cut was in May 2011!  I love my hair cut!  It feels lighter and will be easier to take care of. 

I had to walk to our credit union to deposit some cash and a check and then stopped at Great Clips to get my hair cut.  I had a coupon for a hair cut for only $7.50!  Shannon needs a haircut too!  I have another coupon for him to use.  We also need to cut Kyle's hair.  His hair is so long, he's looking like a cute little elf!

Shannon works tonight from 10pm until 6am.  Hopefully we can go grocery shopping later today since we are almost out of food.  

I also gave in a purchased 5 air plants today since they were having a Cyber Monday special (free shipping)! 

This one is called a Xerographica:

The one below is called Ionantha Peanut (Buy one get one free):

The last one is called Ionantha Druid (Buy one get one free):

I think I am going to get into Tillandsia (air plants) since they don't require soil!  My houseplants that are in soil are always spilling over and causing a mess because Kyle likes to climb on the shelving that they sit on!  

Sunday

I made another batch of homemade laundry soap this morning.

I am slowly trying to get back into couponing at Walgreens to help us save money on the non-food items we need.  I had Shannon pick up the Sunday paper on the way home from work.  I went through the Walgreens ad and matched my coupons with what was on sale.  I took Kyle for a walk to Walgreens and bought 2 bottles of conditioner, 2 boxes of Always pads, and 2 packages of Pampers.  I also picked up my free 8x10 photo that I ordered a few days ago while Walgreens was offering the special! 

It was nice to get out of the house since Kyle and I have been indoors since last Tuesday.

Shannon worked last night at his security job from 11pm until 7am and has to work again today from 3pm until 9pm at Best Buy.  We plan on closing our Wells Fargo accounts and moving our money to our credit union!  Monday norning, I plan to deposit money into our credit union.  After I do that, I can get my haircut since there's a Supercuts in the same shopping center.  I haven't had my hair cut in over a year and half!

Shannon was called about working extra shifts for his security job.  He is now working tonight from 11pm until 7am and the same for Monday and Tuesday!  We need the money!

Twelve hour shift

Shannon had a 12 hour shift at Best Buy today.  Today was Black Friday, also known as one of the busiest shopping days of the year!  He had to work 5am until 5pm.  He fell asleep not even a half hour after getting home.

He said he left around 1:30am.  He stopped in a Best Buy just to see how crazy it would be.  He also did a little shopping and looked at microwaves, but he didn't see any that appealed to him.  Then he went to eat.  He said he stopped by the mall since it was open. 

Kyle is still not feeling well.  He was coughing throughout the day.  He and I ended up taking a nap in the early evening.

Done with "black friday" shopping

It's is about 4:35am on Thanksgiving.  I finished my "black friday" shopping about 15 minutes ago.  Shannon needed black pants for work and they were out of stock at JC Penney, so I turned to Walmart.  I bought 4 pairs for now.  I just hope they fit and will be durable.

I bought a pair of cute boots for only $25 in black:

a pair of skinny jeans for $21

and a pair of Skechers for $31 at JC Penney.

Called in to work

Shannon was called in to work tonight/this morning!  He left about an hour ago.  I guess someone called in.  Unfortunately, it won't be "supervisor pay" but it's better than nothing.  He figured since he's up, he'll go in and he will also be missing work on Friday night. 

Security at the football game

In August, Shannon was hired as a security guard through one of his employers to work the college football games at the local university.  The home football games had between 0 to 4 games a month.  With so little games each month, the job is very part time.  Well, as the months went on there were less games.  When you think about it, people cannot live on so little hours and part time pay.  Not only that, they pay minimum wage! 

This Saturday is the last football game of the year.  They called Shannon and asked him if  he could come in earlier because a lot of the people are have quit on them!  Shannon has a busy weekend of work.  He has to work Friday at Best Buy from 5am until 5pm.  He was supposed to work as a Security Supervisor on Friday night from 11pm until 7am, but his boss said that he could have Friday night off.  He has to work Saturday for the football game.  I am unsure of his hours, but it will be at least 10 or 12 hours!  Then he has to work Saturday night from 11pm until 7am!

Two Days Off

Shannon has the next two days off from work!  Kyle is also off for the rest of the week from school.  He is also getting sick.  He apparent threw up at school and he didn't eat at all today.  When he got home, he did eat Ramen noodles.  He threw up soon after Shannon got home. 

I am glad Kyle isn't feeling well while he's off from school, that way he isn't missing any school.  

Money Deposited

Shannon had this morning off from both jobs, so that gave us time to go to the bank.  We pulled money out of his account (at a different back) and then put the money into our joint account at Wells Fargo.  For now, we are going to keep Wells Fargo accounts open until we receive our debit/credit cards from our credit union.  Shannon doesn't want us to go without a debit card. 

After we finished up at the banks, we had lunch/breakfast at Cracker Barrel. 

Shannon just left for work at Best Buy.  It's another evening with Kyle! 

Working like crazy

Shannon has been working both jobs for the last few weeks.  He's working at least 60 hours a week!  He's getting over 35 hours a week with Best Buy, which is to be expected with retail, especially around the holidays!  He has to work a 12 hour shift on Black Friday!  I remember I had to work a 9 hour shift on Black Friday at Walmart a few years ago. 

We plan on closing our Wells Fargo accounts this week and establish ourselves with our credit union.  We received our "welcome kit" the other day.  It included a few checks and our "membership cards."  I can't wait to get rid of Wells Fargo!  He currently has direct deposit going to his own account at another bank.  He's going to have his other job direct deposited into our credit union.  We still have to order checks and we will receive our debit/credit cards within 2 weeks.  In the meantime, we will have to pay any bills with his checking account that he has with the other bank. 

With Shannon gone, I am trying to stay busy with cleaning, laundry and taking care of Kyle when he's not in school. 

Thanksgiving is coming up this week.  I would have liked to make a nice dinner but we're still in between banks.  Plus, Shannon's work schedule is so erratic.  Shannon and I decided we're going to go out to eat on Wednesday since he is off of work and Kyle is home from school.  We also talked about going out to eat on Monday or Tuesday while Kyle is in school, just the two of us! 

New Credit Union Members!

We are officially credit union members!  I just signed up online!  Shannon had to be the primary person on our joint account because he is the one who is employed with one of their "approved employers list."

Shannon is at work at the moment.  I had to call him for one thing I needed information on.  I know everything else about him, I just needed to be reminded of his mother's maiden name and the spelling. 

I am so excited!  I can't wait until we receive our welcome kit that they will be mailing out to us.  Once we order checks and receive our debit/credit cards from our new credit union, I can close our accounts with Wells Fargo.  We have been with Wachovia since 2007 and then they merged with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo charges too many fees and we are just unhappy with them.

Wells Fargo disappoints again!

I am so irritated with Wells Fargo.  They charged us another service fee of $7 and took another $5 out of our savings.  I have no idea why, since we had plenty in our checking.  We get charged a service fee when we have less than $300 in the savings and with them taking $5 out of our savings, they were able to charge us the service fee.  I can't wait until we can close our accounts with them.  I am so tired of them charging us fees!  

Here is my Tweet to Wells Fargo via Twitter (they also responded):

Shannon both jobs right at the end of the pay periods.  He's been working at both jobs for over 2 weeks and he gets paid this Friday from one of the jobs.  We're anxiously waiting for Friday to get here!  I hope we can close the Wells Fargo accounts and open up accounts with a credit union. 

After Shannon gets paid on Friday, I was going to order him some pants for his Best Buy job but he said I could wait until next Friday which is Black Friday.  His pants will go on sale on Black Friday and they will only be $10!  I plan on ordering him at least 3 pairs of pants for Best Buy and additional pairs in different colors to wear at home.  He needs pants so bad! 

Today, Shannon and I went to Walmart while Kyle was still in school.  We had to pick up a few more things to hold us over until Shannon has another day off. 

24 hours

Yesterday, Shannon had a full 24 hours off from both jobs.  It was nice to have him home, especially with Kyle home from school!  We finished watching Jericho on Netflix! 

Shannon worked last night but he is off today from both jobs again.  Next week, he is scheduled to work a 40 hour work week at Best Buy. 

Best Buy is his first retail job and I keep telling him that retail will work you to death!  Not literally...But they will work you as much as they can get away with.  His boss at the security job asked him if he should inquire about a full time with the security company.  Shannon wants to stay at Best Buy for now and if they start messing with his hours, he will consider working full time at the security company! 

Recipes to try

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I've been thinking about what I want to make for that week.  Shannon may be working, so we'll "celebrate" when he's home.

I also found a few recipes I want to try in general.  With Shannon gone at all hours, I need to start making different recipes.

Shoes

Kyle has new shoes.  Shannon bought him new shoes the other day.  He seems to like them.  I also bought myself a new pair of shoes.  They are Skechers and so cute.  They have a slimmer look!  I bought a half a size smaller than I normally wear thinking I could wear them comfortably.  When I tried both of them on at home, they felt a little snug.  I've been walking around in them at home to see if they would work, otherwise, I will exchange them for my normal size. 

Shannon is still working like crazy.  Yesterday, he only worked at Best Buy.  Today, he has to work at Best Buy and then come home, sleep for a few hours and work at his security supervisor job for 8 hours overnight.  The hours are great, we're just not sure how long he can keep this up.  Hopefully his hours with both jobs will smooth out.  We love the extra hours though.  Now we can't wait until he gets a few paychecks! 

Voting Day

Shannon was off from both jobs today, however, his boss from his security job called this morning a little after 7am.  Shannon is working today with supervisor pay, which is even better because he gets his full rate.  His boss said he was going home and he'd pay Shannon at the supervisor rate, rather than the guard rate.  He works until 3pm on that site.  Then he's going to work another shift tonight. 

We just talked on the phone and decided that we don't need to vote.  We both don't like either candidate... 

Since he has a few hours between shifts, he's going to run to the mall to get shoes for Kyle.  This time, we're going to buy a name brand shoe for him rather than a Walmart shoe brand. 

We're glad that the hours are there.  We definitely need the hours!

Monday

Kyle has today and tomorrow off from school.  Since Shannon started working, Kyle and I have had a lot of time to spend together. 

Shannon worked today at Best Buy.  He did computer training.  From what he described, it sounds like the same training as I had with Walmart.  He worked 5 hours at Best Buy.  His security job called this morning asking if he could cover a shift, however, he had to turn it down because he was schedule to train at Best Buy.  Then his boss at the security job called again asking if he could work later in the day.

It turns out, he is covering for someone who called this evening.  He's working 5pm until 10pm.  If there is another call off for graveyard, he may cover it.

So far, he is off from both jobs tomorrow.  We both want to vote tomorrow and we also want to go to the mall.  Shannon needs additional pairs of pants for Best Buy and I would like to get Kyle a new pair of shoes.  His shoes are coming apart at the soles.  They are already half way off.  There's only fabric keeping his feet in his shoes.

Please and Thank you

Whenever Kyle asks for something, I always make him say "Please" and "Thank you."  I even remind his daddy to ask Kyle to say both when he asks him for things. 

Kyle can sign "please" and he says the word too.  His "please" comes out "pea."  Kyle can also sign "Thank you" and he says the words too.  His "thank you" comes out "bee boo." 

Fall Back

Shannon worked Friday night from 11pm until 7am.  He got home around 7:30am or so and was able to get a half hour of sleep before he had to go to his other job at 10am.  He was able to get off early.  He got home around 6:30pm and went right to bed.  He is at work right now and works from 11pm until 7am.  However, tonight is when we "fall back" and gain an hour!  So he actually has to work 9 hours tonight.  We certainly need the hours and he's doing this for the paycheck!

We hope to get back on track with paying our bills with "regular" paychecks coming in again.  It's been way too long since we've had money coming in, instead of going out every month. 

We also want to move to another apartment complex.  Our lease is up in December, so we plan on going month to month instead of signing a new lease.  Each time, our rent goes up $30+!  Right now, we're paying $637 for a two bedroom apartment.  We rent a stackable washer and dryer, so that "rent" is already added to our rent for the apartment. 

A few months ago, we found an apartment complex not to far from where we are living now.  Their biggest two bedroom with a washer and dryer is a little over $480 or so!  Big difference from what we are paying...

We hope to have enough income by December to show that we could afford to live at the new apartment complex when we apply.