2016-05-30 - 10:33 a.m.

Proud to report I ran a half marathon yesterday.

Time: 3 hrs 10 sec

Today I am going to plant with my neighbor. We will go out to the garden and weed and lay out the plastic we bought there last time but which didn't get put down as we didn't have anything with us to cut it into strips the last time we planted. We just started with putting in the rows of seed. So today we will see what took, and what didn't, and add plants where the seeds didn't take off.

Last I checked with Raitlin there were some plants up but some seeds that don't seem to have emerged. I hope they are just a bit slow and we see them today as opposed to not having taken! But I bought plants to add to the garden to ensure we have a good crop.

I picked up tomatoes and peppers, peas and sweet potatoes and some herbs starter plants. The herbs go in my back yard. My neighbor works nights so is resting and wants to go out around noon. I would have done it early before hot, but she needs to sleep so I will go take care of the herb garden first:

I am adding Cilatro, Basil, thyme I already have Lemon Balm and St John's wart and Balloon Flowers which came back nicely. I think the rosemary and oregano on pots in the porch may have survived winter (something is growing in those...I haven't looked carefully to confirm it is the herbs). I had a beautiful hibiscus but killed it inadverdetly (just not thinking) which was at the back of my herb garden and I LOVED that.
I saw one to replace it with but have to also balance my budget as I forgot what was left in the account before I bought the plants! I just hope I didn't go over budget. I paid all the bills FIRST before shopping, but somehow in the moment of realizing I had time to pick up plants forgot to even think about my budget. I found myself not having not enough time to go home yesterday after the race and lunch with a friend, as I had to be at work at 3pm in Leesburg. So I decided to make good use of time by doing the plant shopping.

I just didn't think about how much cash flow was left in that account until AFTER I had the veggie and herb plants in my cart. I thought then I best stop and not get hibiscus or any flowers for the front plot just yet (where the dead tulip foilige is, but just those for our food supply and go check my account again! I hate not remembering, and have vowed to NOT USE CREDIT as I have relied on it too much lately (TIRES FOR CAR....etc). I have to pay it off and live in the austere manner for a while again!

ITs been fun dancing once a month and going out to do some nice things , but I realized I started doing that with the money I earned from modeling when I had that steady good paying regular modeling gig last summer. That extra income is not coming in steady so I just can't afford to do that. Modeling jobs of late are once a month. (Twice a week was a big difference!) I had then also saved 85 % of that income for essentials and used 15% for my enterainment budget. But the thing is, now without that I don't even have that extra earned income which WAS going toward essentials and I realized I have been using the credit cards to make up that difference AND Still occassionally going out dancing at the place where classes are not free! SO I changed my lifestyle when I had extra money coming in but then didn't really change that lifestyle BACK to the auterity budget after I didn't have that steady extra third job!

So I have to get back to the NO MONEY for enterainment mode! I just really can't afford it. Even though I am a non drinker and spend no money on food, the $15 to $20 for a dance class and the dance party afterward is not something I can afford just now.

Its been fun going out and dancing on laundry night, and eating out with co workers once in a while, but at this point I need to cut back on that again for the time being. It might not seem like alot of money, but it DOES Add up, and PARTICULARLLY if one finds themself swiping a credit card- then the interest rate paying on that makes it really expensive to go out an socialize like that.

So back to reading, gardening and movies from the libary being my source of enterainment along with enjoying my runs and occssional bike rides.

It was sweet of my hiking friend to meet me to cheer me on at my race yesterday and then take me to lunch! I told him I would graciously let him pick up lunch AS I HAD TO... on well, humbling....
He was sweet and bought me some race swag as well. They had $5 T shirts for sale from prior years races.

I had realized my finances still stink when I WANTED To register for that half marathon and the reality set in I couldn't afford to; Not only not having cash flow, but not even having the credit.

Then I looked at my card statements to see why the heck that was and also realized I have CAR INSURANCE paid by credit card recently.. $850 for six months... makes sense to get AIRLINE POINTS , but really ONLY If one can PAY THE BILL IN FULL IMMEDIATELY! New tires. car insurance, a splurge of taking the 16 year old to a Pentatonix concert for her birthday, and I have maxed that credit card !

The cost of car insurance for the year is a reminder again HIGH COSTS OF ADHD We are crappy drivers !(Fact! This is staistically factual) There is a marked difference in driving, reduced driving reg violations when drivers with ADHD get treatment). Many tickets means EXPENSIVE CAR INSURANCE!

SIGH..

And its a reminder I really can't afford to be keeping a car on the road !! ITs the catch 22: NECESSARY To get to work, yet when one is paying a car payment and insurance, and for gas and tires the cost of maintaining a car is the #1 Burden on working middle class I beleive.

OH well...

So I crashed the half marathon.

I was nervoud about doing that, but was glad I did it and pushed myself to run beyond that 9 to 10 mile threshold I was previously at.

A friend on FB told me that race crashers are called "bandidts" and it is not a great idea. Alredy done... won't do it again as I agree it is VERY TACKY and VERY RUDE to think one is entitled ...
I didn't take any of the benefits of registering. Brought my camelback so even had my own water! Just waved at the hydration stations.... thanked each volunteer I saw profusely... was a gravious race crasher who didn't expect any of the amenities. My friend took me out to eat afterward which was nice. We went to a Korean restaraunt. He is my DC Friend, hiking buddy who I get together with whenever I find myself close to the district and think to call him.

HE and two of his friends are traveling to Iceland and Germany this FALL!! Its an Oct trip and he didn't invite me. He said it is cause the airfare went up so quickly right after he booked, but I think there is more to it than that. He is going with a mutual friend we both traveled with a few times... but then they dated a while, broke up , but are still very close. This trip is both of them and his old high school teacher he has maintained a friendship with over the years. I told him I can't afford it this year anyway. The mutual friend we both traveled with has reached out to me to do things so many times and they never worked out as either I just couldn't afford it at the time (Skiing and snowboarding trips I WISHED I could have gone on!) , I had kids and it was an invite with only other adults, or just not something I wanted to spend money on (like a Rap concert.... I am not dropping $50 on a tix for some music I don't know.. albeit rap with Latin hip hop... it sounds interesting. She loves Latin Dancing as well and turns out took classes in DC for a while! I so enjoy her company and am happy to get the invitations and hope she keeps including me in them, as one of these days Iwill be able to finally make it ! ITs fully as we are alike, as I heard more than once from our mutual hiking friend just yesterday! She is the single, Asian , version of me! (HA HA She is Chinese. We just clicked on our first trip and have shared a room when traveling a couple times on hiking trips. She also was working as an Immigration paralegal for a DC firm when I first met her years ago.) I really hope I can get together with her at some point. She had sent a groupon for discounted tickets to a theme park that would have been nice to go to with her group of friends AND the kids, but of course we just did that theme park weekend! Oh well... eventually I am sure I will spend time with her again.I

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