mommyoffive Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 Awww @heartlikealion Just so excited everything is falling into place for you. It has been such a long road that you have been on. You have grown so much and gotten stronger. I am just amazed at your spirit that has kept trying to preserve and go farther in your life. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 Ohh forgot to mention - xh said that the kids having a half day Dec 19 officially marks their winter break and that trumps the “Friday before Christmas” verbiage in our visitation. I’ll just go with that. I need to see if I work that day or not. And if I’m allowed to have the kids in the library for periods of time during my shift so possibly they could be dropped off there while I finish my shift. So I’ll have the kids Dec 19-late afternoon of Dec 25. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 Oh good, I'm glad you get a bit longer visitation with the kids for Christmas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 32 minutes ago, heartlikealion said: Ohh forgot to mention - xh said that the kids having a half day Dec 19 officially marks their winter break and that trumps the “Friday before Christmas” verbiage in our visitation. I’ll just go with that. I need to see if I work that day or not. And if I’m allowed to have the kids in the library for periods of time during my shift so possibly they could be dropped off there while I finish my shift. So I’ll have the kids Dec 19-late afternoon of Dec 25. It might be nice to have the kids at the library to see what you are doing for a living. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 Just now, Faith-manor said: It might be nice to have the kids at the library to see what you are doing for a living. I took them around it the other day. 😊 We met a couple future co-workers. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 Met one of my duplex neighbors. Super sweet. Here's a quick video. The door in hallway has a stackable washer/dryer. The door inside kitchen is a pantry. Notice the Christmas tree box on the floor ha The kitchen counter edges and surface are a bit jagged but overall I’m super happy with it. https://youtu.be/fpWUusbzZ0M?si=nHFxzHC1chWctrzj 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 So nice! I’m so happy for you! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 I gotta figure out where to put the litter box etc. I might see if I can section off an area in the living room. 🤷🏻♀️ maybe camouflage it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildflowerMom Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I love it! So clean and bright! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartstrings Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 2 hours ago, heartlikealion said: Ohh forgot to mention - xh said that the kids having a half day Dec 19 officially marks their winter break and that trumps the “Friday before Christmas” verbiage in our visitation. I’ll just go with that. I need to see if I work that day or not. And if I’m allowed to have the kids in the library for periods of time during my shift so possibly they could be dropped off there while I finish my shift. So I’ll have the kids Dec 19-late afternoon of Dec 25. So does that give you more time or less time with them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 Just now, Heartstrings said: So does that give you more time or less time with them? More. I’ll get them late afternoon/evening of the 19th instead of 22. But I don’t know how much of that time I’ll be working. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 (edited) Funny — the neighbor works at the gym I plan to join 😆 She said it’s crowded but they are opening another location in Dec. Hopefully some switch to that location. The current location is closer to me. There’s a playground in walking distance to my home. I’ll see if dd wants to go there. Edited November 24, 2023 by heartlikealion 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I love the look of your place. This will be so nice with the kids. Bright and airy. I am glad the neighbor was nice. This seems like a lovely situation even if the distance is not ideal. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I love your apartment! Much nicer than some rentals I've lived in (no ugly rental carpet and a living room separate from the kitchen!) It feels like a place you could make into a comfortable home. And will feel so much cheerier once that Christmas tree is up and decorated 🎄. I'm thinking this means you can get the rest of your stuff out of storage? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 (edited) 27 minutes ago, maize said: I love your apartment! Much nicer than some rentals I've lived in (no ugly rental carpet and a living room separate from the kitchen!) It feels like a place you could make into a comfortable home. And will feel so much cheerier once that Christmas tree is up and decorated 🎄. I'm thinking this means you can get the rest of your stuff out of storage? Well I can get most out but I don’t know what to do with the W/D. I listed it for sale days ago but no bites. And they thought they fixed the leak in my storage unit but there were puddles of water on the plastic I threw over the bad area when I went today. So I reported it again and emailed a pic. Edited November 24, 2023 by heartlikealion Clarity: storage unit leaking (not washer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 1 hour ago, heartlikealion said: I gotta figure out where to put the litter box etc. I might see if I can section off an area in the living room. 🤷🏻♀️ maybe camouflage it. My daughter has a cabinet that hides her litter box. You don’t even know it’s there until you hear a cat scratching. I love your new place, especially the floors and that bright kitchen. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 Just now, KungFuPanda said: My daughter has a cabinet that hides her litter box. You don’t even know it’s there until you hear a cat scratching. I love your new place, especially the floors and that bright kitchen. Please let me know if you have a link. I’m gonna see what they offer on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 3 minutes ago, heartlikealion said: Please let me know if you have a link. I’m gonna see what they offer on Amazon. It’s this style, but not exactly. They got is second hand. https://tribesigns.com/products/tribesigns-industrial-cat-cabinet-litter-box-enclosure Their apartment is TINY so they have to make every inch count. Their kitchen is half the size of yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 That looks like a great place! Really glad for you to have a job and housing lined up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I love it! And awesome you paid off your debt to xh! Good luck on Monday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 23 minutes ago, heartlikealion said: Please let me know if you have a link. I’m gonna see what they offer on Amazon. There are lots of options of Amazon. Just search for litterbox cabinet. Here's a couple of the cheaper options but there is many to look at. Amazon.com : Homhedy Cat Litter Box Enclosure,Litter Box Furniture Hidden with Barn Door,Wooden Cat Washroom Furniture,Cat House,Fit Most of Litter Box, Greige : Pet Supplies Amazon.com: Feandrea Litter Box Enclosure, Modern Furniture with Scratching Mat, Cat House for Indoor Cats, Side End Table, 31.5 x 19.7 x 21.7 Inches, Simply White and Metallic Gold UPCL007W01 : Pet Supplies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 4 hours ago, heartlikealion said: Well I can get most out but I don’t know what to do with the W/D. I listed it for sale days ago but no bites. And they thought they fixed the leak in my storage unit but there were puddles of water on the plastic I threw over the bad area when I went today. So I reported it again and emailed a pic. Can you lower the price on the washer and dryer? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 That apartment is adorable!!!! The kitchen is easily double the size of mine and it’ll be so cute when you have your table in there. I love it when a kitchen can have a table in it. So homey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 Just now, Garga said: That apartment is adorable!!!! The kitchen is easily double the size of mine and it’ll be so cute when you have your table in there. I love it when a kitchen can have a table in it. So homey! That tiny table is my kitchen table 🤣🤣 I don’t have all the chairs in there. I got used to small furniture. It folds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 37 minutes ago, maize said: Can you lower the price on the washer and dryer? I posted it on my personal FB tonight with “or make me an offer” 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 I ordered a piece of furniture for the cat’s litter box. I remembered to cancel my Hulu & Peacock services that will end soon from last year’s Black Friday deal. I received my ss card. I’ll need it at the water dept & for work health ins. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 I'm glad the SS card came quickly! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 I love your new place and so relieved that things are finally coming together for you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 19 hours ago, heartlikealion said: I posted it on my personal FB tonight with “or make me an offer” Being a holiday week, people may be traveling, shopping, etc. and nor paying attention to FBmarketplace. Hopefully when things return to normal on Monday, you get some bites. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 I don’t know when to get the cat. I’m driving to my friend’s tomorrow and dropping off a few things at my home. It seems like it would be hard to drive back & forth mid week but maybe I’ll drive to the cat Thursday night after work and bring her over Friday (I’m off Friday). Mid week that furniture and litter will arrive so I can assemble that before she arrives, hopefully lol. I definitely don’t want to leave her at my friend’s long. In the course of about 2 days without me, her litter box was full, I found cat vomit and spit up all over the room/bed and the feeder needed to be jiggled to get the kibble down. I cleaned up and added more food to the feeder. My back has healed a great bit so today I tried the rowing machine at the gym and I was ok. Watched a video with a new exercise for me to do to combat PF. My dad isn’t coming with the trailer tomorrow. Forecast had rain so I’m just gonna take whatever fits in my car. I’ll likely be stuck with Dec storage fees but it’s too rushed to get everything out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 Came across an old library paystub. 41% was taken out from gross to net. That included: fed income, ss, Medicare, state, retirement, and other ins. That was a monthly check. If that is anywhere close to my new checks my budget is even tighter than I anticipated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 28 minutes ago, heartlikealion said: Came across an old library paystub. 41% was taken out from gross to net. That included: fed income, ss, Medicare, state, retirement, and other ins. That was a monthly check. If that is anywhere close to my new checks my budget is even tighter than I anticipated. State taxes and insurance is going to differ from one place to the other. Hopefully they will both be less at the new job! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 8 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said: State taxes and insurance is going to differ from one place to the other. Hopefully they will both be less at the new job! I’m just scared because when I had that ins plan it was free and this one will be at least $130/mo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 14 hours ago, heartlikealion said: 41% was taken out from gross to net. That included: fed income, ss, Medicare, state, retirement, and other ins. That was a monthly check. Your fica, federal, and state shouldn't be anywhere near that percentage, so you need to figure out exactly what was being taken out. What is "other ins."? How much to retirement? You don't need to answer, just trying to help you figure what was taken out. If you look at an income of about $38,000 the total taxes should be less than $7,000 with the standard deduction, so less than half of that percentage. That's fica, federal, state. It looks like insurance for just you should be $140/month: https://employee.nola.gov/documents/forms/benefits/health/benefits-booklet/ I think that leaves car insurance as your biggest unknown. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 (edited) Now that you don’t have to worry about messing up your unemployment, or taking a job without living wages, maybe you can get a part-time gig on weeknights when you don’t have the kids, for a buffer or to build up some savings. Edited November 26, 2023 by Garga 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 1 hour ago, Garga said: Now that you don’t have to worry about messing up your unemployment, or taking a job without living wages, maybe you can get a part-time gig on weeknights when you don’t have the kids, for a buffer or to build up some savings. My shifts are 9-5, 10-6, and 11-7. I think that would be too much. But I might do online tutoring in some free hours. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 2 hours ago, katilac said: Your fica, federal, and state shouldn't be anywhere near that percentage, so you need to figure out exactly what was being taken out. What is "other ins."? How much to retirement? You don't need to answer, just trying to help you figure what was taken out. If you look at an income of about $38,000 the total taxes should be less than $7,000 with the standard deduction, so less than half of that percentage. That's fica, federal, state. It looks like insurance for just you should be $140/month: https://employee.nola.gov/documents/forms/benefits/health/benefits-booklet/ I think that leaves car insurance as your biggest unknown. “Otherins” was what was printed but I think it referred to the default plan which was employees pay nothing and get the state employee ins through BCBS. It showed a couple dollars taken out. Anytime I went to the dr outside of a wellness visit, I had to pay full price. So it really didn’t do much. On Reddit I saw people saying 40%+ was taken out of their checks. So it might not be all that uncommon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartstrings Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 1 minute ago, heartlikealion said: My shifts are 9-5, 10-6, and 11-7. I think that would be too much. But I might do online tutoring in some free hours. The job I do with Telus International could be worked in around those hours since it’s flexible. You can look under AI jobs on the website. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 The cat is at the new house. I’m at the laundromat. Had a very scary incident today. Hydroplaned off the interstate on the way to LA. Car swung in a circle. I almost got stuck in the mud. My brain thought great, you’re gonna miss your first day of work, total your car and end up in a hospital ($$$). Like I was more worried about the money than my life. That’s how depressed I’ve been. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 I'm glad you're OK Heart. That sounds super scary. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 Kitty was secured very well. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildflowerMom Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Dang, that could’ve ended really badly. Glad y’all are ok! Don’t chase a guy, heart. You deserve someone who pursues you. Just my opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartstrings Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Wow! That does look scary! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Just now, WildflowerMom said: Don’t chase a guy, heart. You deserve someone who pursues you. Just my opinion. Why? I truly don't understand why we would think women should be pursued more than men. I think that a woman who finds a man who is worth pursuing has every right and reason to pursue! Yes, there's a point where the level of interest needs to become mutual, but some men are slower to warm up to that point just like some women are. Women aren't pretty little flowers waiting for someone to come by and pick them; we are as capable of actively choosing to go after what we want as men are! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildflowerMom Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Nah, i think Heart did enough pursuing and trying to make things work in her past marriage. She deserves to be on the other end of that. She needs someone who will pursue her. I’m not talking about not going after a guy to let him know you’re interested. I’m talking about having to chase him down to get him to respond to simple communication. She shouldn’t have to do that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 27, 2023 Author Share Posted November 27, 2023 He did pursue me. But lots of tentative plans, broken plans, then the breakup so I shouldn’t have been surprised the dynamic changed. The second time we hung out my landlords were out of town. We talked from like 10 pm (after his kids were in bed) til breakfast! I’m gonna work on myself and try to stop scaring guys away 🤦🏻♀️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 I am so glad you are ok. That sounds absolutely terrifying. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 51 minutes ago, heartlikealion said: Kitty was secured very well. Kitty's like, we're gonna stay in this apartment for a while, right? Enough excitement and change! 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 27, 2023 Author Share Posted November 27, 2023 I talked to my neighbor that works at the gym I want to join to ask if she knew of any upcoming deals where maybe they waive the start up fee or annual fee. She said they aren't given deal info in advance but she gets a friends & family discount so if I come in when she's working she can sign me up that way and I'll get some sort of discount on the membership. I'll try to do that on Friday. We exchanged cell phone numbers and showed each other our apartments/met each other's pets. They are not identical. I decided it was better to just bring the cat so that I'm not far from her and she's not stuck in a room with no window (don't ask me why but there was no window in the last room I stayed in. It didn't appear to be an add-on, either. So strange!). I'm sure she's a bit lonely tonight but she has full reign of the house!! I'll do my best to get to the water dept in time to set up water tomorrow. My friend that I'm staying with tonight said that groceries were significantly more money in LA than MS when she moved here so depending on where I drive I might want to stock up on groceries outside of the area. I don't know if I'll get unemployment for this past week but I filed just in case. I forgot to pack a lunch and it's a nightmare getting in/out of the branch I'm working at tomorrow. I don't know if I can buy something and toss in a work fridge last minute or find someone to carpool with at lunch maybe? Or maybe there's somewhere to eat in walking distance! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted November 27, 2023 Author Share Posted November 27, 2023 3 hours ago, katilac said: Kitty's like, we're gonna stay in this apartment for a while, right? Enough excitement and change! I told my friend that my cat was like I didn't sign up for a roller coaster today! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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