Post-Christmas Randomness
Well, we survived the weekend with no fistfights, injuries, or mass murders. It’s kind of a blur, but overall we had a good Christmas with tons of food and family.
Now that life is back to normal, here are a few updates on things that are going on:
Zombie Medical Debt
Remember when I got served with a civil summons over an old medical bill awhile back? I sent a certified letter requesting verification of the debt. The collection agency sent a release for me to sign, which I did, and I received my billing records about 2 weeks ago. AND they’ve added $74 to the amount I supposedly owe; I guess they want to be compensated for the time they spent requesting my records.
So this week I’ve got to go through the statements and figure out a settlement offer. I’m not sure what I’ll have to pay to get this off my credit report, but I just hope it’s less than the full amount. SO frustrating.
Jayden and Santa Claus
I kind of wimped out on the whole telling Jay about Santa thing. Santa leaves him a letter each year, so in this year’s letter Santa told him he would send a card with money from now on for all kids over 12. I even stepped on the corner of his Lego box to prove that the sleigh is becoming overcrowded. At this point, all I’ve done is buy myself some time to decide what to do.
December Spending
It’s amazing how little I spend now that I don’t go to work every day. I’ll be returning to monthly income and spending reports at the end of January (since some of you requested it), but basically I have purchased very little. I think I’ve put gas in my car twice, and other than groceries, that’s about it.
Christmas gifts: I bought Jayden’s iPhone ($200), Xbox 360 ($130 after trade-ins), and spent $100 on miscellaneous gifts. Out of my $500 Christmas budget, I only spent $430. Woohoo! I did buy myself an Apple Time Capsule ($300) as my Christmas gift to myself.
This Post is Boring!
I wish there was something more exciting going on, but that’s all I’ve got for now. Jay has Christmas money to spend, so I’m sure we’ll brave the mall at some point this week. My Christmas money went straight to savings - no temptations there.
I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend!
Don't be too hard on yourself for this random post. It is kind of a lazy December 26th.
True story! The internet is dead today.
It IS dead today. Congrats on keeping your Christmas budget in check. You will find some good bargains in the after Christmas sales. Even though deals are out there, I'm tired of shopping. Nothing like just relaxing with the family!
Could you say your unemployed and see if they'll settle for a lesser amount? I think they'll be happy that you paid anything. Stupid medical collections debt.
I'm hoping that will help. I mean, I'd be happy with paying half, since it's so old that the doctor's office already wrote it off. Anything I pay now is simply lining the collection agency's pockets. I just wish they would have contacted me AT THE TIME so I wouldn't be dealing with this almost 3 years later.
I am sitting idle and checking out Yakezies. Its really dull day. Just thought about leaving a boring comment here
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Glad to hear you had a good Christmas. And yes, now it's back to normal….
I spend less when I stay home too. At work I get tempted to get a latte, a snack, get talked into a lunch, into more coffee and so on. I even eat less when I am at home!
The post was not boring actually. A nice update on your Xmas.
Glad you and your son had such a nice Christmas! Congrats on coming in under budget.
What! Jayden got an iPhone! I'm so jealous. Tell him I'll buy it off him when he trades to the next model
I will admit, I'll probably upgrade to the next one when it's available next fall. And he'll inherit my 4S and I'll be looking to sell the 4. Which is so pathetic and I can't believe I'm posting that for people to read, but I'm not one to minimize my vices.
Yo, I feel pretty pathetic that I bring up my lack of an iPhone in every conversation. "Oh are those new sneakers? Did you know I don't have an iPhone? It's cool, don't worry about it."
It's okay. The iPhone want is a very strong force; you can't fight it for very long. And the relief when you finally hold it in your hands is so sickening I can't even talk about it. It will happen, and birds will sing, and you will know the joy of never missing anything. Ever. Even when it's 1:30am and you really don't feel like responding to blog comments. =P
Merry weird week before New Years and after Christmas! I want to point out that you've written multiple articles on the holidays now… so I can probably see the future or something.
Also, on a personal note, glad all is well and you're entering 2012 on a good note!
Sorry to hear about your medical debt issue. Ugh. iPhone and Xbox 360? Lucky boy! Good job on saving and not getting tempted. Happy New Year!