Trying to Save

Posted by Heriberto Fuentes


We’ve been trying to save money everywhere we can ever since my husband’s hours got cut and it’s harder than you’d think. We did a bunch of stuff upfront to help like selling the third car and taking the kids out of private school but you know, even things like looking into special Amigo Energy rates and bartering for things like braces for the kids (my husband is a contractor) have been helpful. I feel like we’ve reached a point though where there’s not a lot else we can do other than start giving up some of the things we really need. I know that at the end of the day my husband and I would like to have more savings in the bank and I think we’re probably going to have to start using coupons and rationing food like we’ve seen people doing on TV. It’s amazing we’ve ended up here but the construction industry just isn’t what it used to be and it’s going to be an adjustment. There’s nothing we can do!

Remember when plans actually panned out?

Has it been almost 2 months since we wrote? We do know it feels like an eternity. Sometimes we just have to be patient and listen. Since we completed out madien voyage this summer, we have been planning and dreaming. Our intitial plans were Christmas in New Orleans, a visit to the Crossroads in Clarksdale Mississippi and across to Montgomery, Alabama before coming home to North Carolina. Then our plans took an unexpected turn. Mary has been given an opportunity to work with her sister and nieces in the family real estate appraisal business. This will mean relocating BACK to Michigan this summer. When we left Michigan in 2009, it wasn't on very good terms--definately not on our terms. I am still not sure if I was more disappointed or angry about our departure. I believe Mary was shocked, but realized the economy left us with little choice. Now we are returning and I am just a bit nervous. Though we were both born and raised in Michigan, I believe we both dislike what the state has become. The poster-state for unemployment, the target for union bashing ( I am a UNION THUG), and the city no ones knows what to do with--Detroit. But we will be able to access the midwest on a regular basis. Mary wants to see South Dakota and parts west and a Michigan base will allow us the opportunity to do that next summer. We still have our hearts set on the road. Being grounded theses last few months have been difficult. With our new plan of moving back north, we have postponed many of our weekend travels here in North Carolina. But we will be on the road heading throughout Michigan and surrounding areas this summer.