Well, since I have saved most of my $20-challenge money towards the car (except the $20 for Jan!), I think I should set the price of the car as my goal, so, I'll say $4,000 by December 31st!

and, as you all know, I hate waiting!!!...
oh, well, I have about $1,000 and I can get $500 from the company co-op...plus, someday I'll get my $282 in tax returns...so I know I can do something to get a car!....will keep you posted!

Well, I was looking at my entries for March of last year:
I was getting TONS of creditor calls and could not even manage minimum payments...I was paying every other month!...My car broke down and had to spend a lot of money repairing it!...also, Fiona, our dog, was then just a puppy and creating all sorts of trouble at the house!

What a difference a year makes!
Nowadays, I am making payments that are slightly higher than minimum payment (of course, I have less credit cards, and lower balances!! YAY, ME!!)...I am trying to get money to buy a new car, so I guess in that sense I'm worse off than last year...and, while Fiona still creates trouble sometimes, these are now exceptions, and not the rule!

This was a good exercise, it helped me put things in perspective...I've still got a long way to go, but, there has DEFINETELY been a lot of progress!!

The company works very closely with 2 of the major banks here, so we get "special treatment" (or so they say!)...One of the banks rejected my loan a couple of weeks ago, so I applied to the other one...see what they say...I already have a loan with them (have had it for 6 months) so, worst-case scenario they'll just let me have an amount equal to what I've already paid...which would be a bit over $1,000....I'm done with the coop loan, so I could ask for yet another one (the most you get is $500 without a cosigner)...so that would mean $1,500 + the $1,000 that I already have...I'd still be short, but I think I could come to some sort of arrangement with the car owner...
I'll let you know what happens...

at least, the car I want to buy is here...now, all I need is $2700! ...the car will be ready for delivery next week...the guy has promised he won't sell it until I've seen it and decided whether I want it or not!...woo-hoo!!!
(I'm fed up with asking for rides!!)

IF I get this car (or WHEN I get a car, even if not this one) I'll come back and post a picture!

I have a car (my sis is out of the country and I can use her car today and tomorrow, yay!), so I'll go drop off some documents for one of our trainers, pick up some mail that has arrived for one of our PM's, drop off a letter for one of the directors (yes, I also run errands on occasion!...but, if I leave these things with General Services, it takes about a week...I can do them in just one day!)...I've finally finished inputting all the data from the feedback forms from our training, so all I have to do now is the pivot table and update the presentation, so that can be ready for Friday (I promised it for next MOnday, so...I'll do that this afternoon)
I left the documents for my loan application for the car at the bank yesterday, so I have to remember to call the sales rep and see if the preliminary investigation is ok (they do a credit pull)...then I can either relax or go back to fretting about it! LOL!...
I also have to call the Ministry of Education (they wrote back "please call this number") to see what can be done about accreditation...OK, break's over, back to life!

1. New bed for Ale...pending, not urgent

2. New bike for Ale...pending, most definetely not urgent!

3. new(er) car really, really urgent! ugh! looking into loans and such

4. Ale's birthday party!! - She wants to have it at the Children's Museum...will have to call and ask how much it costs to see if it's feasible! ...if not, gotta give her the news as soon as possible!- before she tells her classmates! LOL!

5. Renewal of my car registration card....hmmm...include this with the new car $$$, as I'll probably get a registration valid until my next birthday (2007) instead of paying just for 3 or 4 months!

said it's because she's alreday co-signed for someone else...have a feeling it might be because she's afraid I won't be able to pay...she knows that, as long as I CAN, I WILL, but, she KNOWS how precarious my financial situation is...

((sigh)) she suggested I call my ex-husband (been there, done that - he would never do it, if only because his SISTER left him with a $10,000+ debt about 7 years ago...he swore he'd never co-sign anything ever again! - can't blame him!)

So, now I'm left with 2 options, my sis (if the bank accepts her, she co-signed for my cousin and my cousin was late on payments and that affected my sister's credit!) or my best friend...who hasn't been at her current job long enough...

practically as junk...but, the engine was damaged...I got $300 for it, which is prettty much what I expected to get...I have been looking at new(er) cars...so far, just checking the classifieds...the price my friend's husband is offering me sounds reasonable, even a (tiny) bit below market...so I may just go with the car he's offered...I still don't know...in the meantime, I'm spending money on taxis to go from the office to the school...not good, as I spend in 1 week almost what I used to spend for gas for 2 full weeks...
oh, well, at least I get rides from home to the office in the morning and from the school to home at night!

I checked with the (other) bank the company works with and, the exec said I can get a loan...I need a co-debtor (either my sis or one of my best friends, the only people I've co-signed for)...If I take out a loan for $5,000 I'd be paying $121/month (don't ask for how long, it's not pretty!)...Now, a friend says he can get me a very good used car for $3,000- $3,700 ...I could use the rest of the money (and the $1,000 I had originally set aside for cc debt, which right now is on hold pending what happened with the car) towards cc debt...that way, the $121/month would cover both the car AND cc debt...it would be a good deal, as the personal loan interest is less than half that on the cc's....so I'm thinking about it...since my friend is bringing the car from the US, I'd have to wait a couple of weeks (he's bringing it anyway, not specifically for me, so there's no committment on my part and I have 2 weeks to shop around and look at other options)...I think I'll call the bank lady and ask her to start the paperwork for the $5,000....I'll see if my sister can be my co-debtor. If she gets rejected, then I'd have to wait until one of my friends comes from a business trip (in March)...Or I can ask my best friend-sister-partner-in-crime, who I know would be willing to do it...problem is, she's been with her present employer less than a year...

...It's a plan!

at least in this city!!...I have been getting rides to and from work since Thursday, but, had to skip swimming lessons on Saturday, as noone could take us...

I soooo need a car!...a friend's husband-who is in the business of getting you anything and everything you want/need (as long as it's legal and makes him a profit) says he can get me a cheap, good used car (the three B's, as we say here: bueno, bonito y barato)...we'll see...because, obviously, I still have to find a way to finance this without damaging my financial situation too much!...aaaargghhhhh! ...all I needed was 1 more year out of this car!!!...a mechanic is interested in buying it..of course, fixing it is cheaper for him: he gets special prices on the spare parts and he'll be fixing it himself...plus, since he wants it for his daughters, it's not like he has an urgent need for it, so he can afford to keep it in his workshop and work on it whenever he has time!...he can take 6 months to fix it if he wants to, for example!!...((sigh))...
will let you know how things go on this one!!

Actually, it died last night, about 1 block away from home...managed to get it started again today and it is sitting in the garage...waiting for the mechanic to come, since I WAS going to take it to the workshop, but then it just refused to start again...I was putting water in the radiator every day...but yesterday there was a huge traffic jam and it overheated and then just boom, it stopped...so now I'm sitting here feeling sooo disappointed...and thinking that if the mechanic says it's expensive, it might be a better idea to just sell it for scrap and use that money, plus the translation money plus the translation and locution (is that a word) as a downpayment for a used car... It would mean going back to minimum payments on the cc's and that would mean that my ultimate goal of being debt free might be delayed for a looooong time, but...is it worth it?? I mean...I really cann't afford to NOT have a car...for instance, the timing from the time I leave my office until I get to the school is timed to get there by car...no way I'd get there on time if I have to work 4 blocks to the bus stop, wait for the bus and then walk 2 more blocks from the bus stop to the school....Even worse if I decide to not walk and have to switch buses...(buses here are not on a schedule)...then, on Saturdays, I leave the church at 10:00am, the precise time when Ale's swim lessons should be starting...by car, it's only 15 minutes...by bus, we would have to walk 3 blocks to the bus stop and wait...and, probably would have to change buses...we'll never make it on time...and then, she finishes at 12:00 and I'm supposed to be at the school at 12:45...by car it's doable, but, by bus...never

Not to mention that buses here are dangerous - think I have written about this before...

Paying for a taxi is out of the question, as it would be about $3 for the office-school ride (so $127week), $3 for the home-church and at least $6 for the church-swimm lessons and about $10 for the swimming- school and another $6 for the school-home! ...I'd be spending an awful amount of money on taxis!!

((sigh)) have already called work to say I'll be looking into fixing my car...will probably use the whole morning and go see car options as well...

wow!...I've never had a new car...all my cars have been used...that might be about to change...as I research into loans for vehicles (mine seems about to die, but, don't worry, I won't do the switch before the old one is RIP)...anyway, what I have found so far is this: you're better off taking your loan directly from the dealership, because: 1. most banks will only loan you for the purchase of a new car, and they'll only finance up to 90% of the value of the car...2. if buying a new car, the banks will give you interest rates starting at 7.77% (if you have at least 20% of the total value of the car to give as a downpayment)...and they'll give you up to 60 months to repay...for used cars? They finance only up to 80% of the value, interest rates start at 13.5% and you get 48 months to pay...oh! and the car cannot be older than 3 years...This means that the actual difference between the monthly payment for a new car and a used car will be about $40...

Not that any of this matters at the time, because I don't have the money anyway, but, I thought it's good to start researching ....

...LOL! I don't speak "mechanics" in English...I can ask the right questions in Spanish, though!...this time around they DID flush the brake fluid and replaced the brake pads...last time they "cleaned" them - which basically means they just took a look at the pads to see if they needed replacement or not and then put it back together....they charge around $11 to do that...luckily, this sort of maintenance is not nearly as expensive in El Salvador as it would be in the US...

My income tax return finally came through!...originally, I was going to use it to bring my rent up to date with the landlady...as it turns out, I decided to give her only half of it and put the other half towards cc...plus $30 that I "have" because I got $30 in vouchers for the supermarket, so the cash that I had for the supermarket goes to the cc...slow and steady... I paid $200 to the cc today...a drop in the ocean considering the level of debt, but, a whole river compared to the $45 that I was going to pay originally!!...

I was so desperate last week, I even put my car up for sale...a guy who's a mechanic was interested in buying it for his daughters (must be pulling his hair out right now, because he refused to pay the $800 I was asking for - yes, I was THAT desperate....he wanted to give me only $700 - NO, I was NOT THAT desperate!)...so I said no, and gave him my phone #, in case he re-considered...I didn't even ask for his!...but, upon hearing about the gas prices yesterday, I decided I'm much better off keeping it (I know I can "make" my week with about $10- even at the new prices)...so, today he calls and says he's willing to give me the $800...but, I've re-considered!...guy must be kicking himself!...the thing is, there ARE problems with the car, but, for me it would be about $500 to fix it, for him, it would be about $200 to fix it, as he only pays for spare parts, and gets them at a discount!... Lessons learned: #1 consider all options, lesson #2: don't let opportunity pass you by! lol!

The real estate agent we had been working with called...claims the buyer finally got the loan from the bank and wants to finalize the sale...hmmmm...I'm wary...good thing is, ex-hubby is out of town, so we CAN'T sign...and, we have a couple of people who came to see the apartment, that said they'd be giving us an offer this week, so...

For all these things, I want to thank God. I see His hand in all of this...

I have been working on several ideas to make additional money...I have offered my translation services to my friends (they know I work, so they know that delivery times won't be the same as if I were working on it full time!)...I am knitting baby boots to sell as part of the $20 challenge...

Aside from that, and for money to be put to "regular" use (aka paying debts!), I'm working with my cousin to sell toys and we have also brought all my parents stuff out of storage to see what we are going to keep and what can be sold...(also, some things were broken, so we had to throw them away!)

The bad thing is, my car is heating up -again!...Now, I've decided not to invest $0.01 more in that...(I just spent $350 in May!!)...I'll carry 3 gallons of water around to cool/refill the radiator and that is it!... A frien of my cousin's, who is a mechanic, said some time ago that he might be interested in buying it for his daughters...so they learn how to drive...well, if he buys it, I'll sell it!...

There is an option to buy a used car (more debt, I know! I'm not happy about it!) ...but, honestly, public transport here is NOT an option...way too dangerous!...especially since I often leave the office after dark...

Well, we'll see what happens!

Unbelievable! my car is heating up again!!...I refuse to take it back to the same workshop, so I guess I'll have to find a new one...problem is, God only knows how much they will charge...honest, if I'm going to start spending ~$200/month on repairs, I'm better off putting that money into an account and buying a new (used) car!....(needless to say, the ORIGINAL destination for that money was debt repayment!)...
the apartment still hasn't sold, no info on my income tax return - can't talk to a human being at the Ministry of Hacienda, and all the site and the voice mail say is: input, pending review...I filed those taxes on March 29th! you'd think I would have an answer by now! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It is all soooo frustrating!!

She asked yesterday why I hadn't included a tin of Nesquick for her milk (she likes plain milk, but loves it with Nesquick, either chocolate or strawberry)...so I said I hadn't been able to find it at the store...which is not true, I just forgot I had promised to buy a small one...so I went to the supermarket downstairs today and actually looked for it!...it took me a while to find it, they keep it in the lowest shelf (I'm guessing this is not one of their fastest-moving products here, being a "commercial" district...most people shop for small things, mostly for lunch...) ...Anyway, I found it, and brought my tin to the cashier and, after I paid for it, she gave me another one!! (I had bought a strawberry one, and she gave me a chocolate one! yipeee!!...) so, I saved $1.08 and DD has 2 tins instead of one!!
If it weren't for the stupid car breaking down (again!), this would have been a great week for savings!! ((sigh))

Money is going to be tight next month, too...Sis has to be operated on, and it has to be done this week....it's minor, to be done at the Dr's office, but, still, it will cost $800....and her insurance only covers 70% of it...and she has to pay in full first, and then process a reimbursement, so we need to get the money and then wait about 3 weeks to get it back...she's asked her company for a loan, they would get the insurance money in 3 weeks, and she would pay the rest out of her salary in installments...but they still haven't said anything, so we are trying to work on alternate solutions...

Just when I thought I'd be able to pay a little more on my credit cards, the car had to break down....I hate it!!...every time I think things will get better, I get slammed with something like this!!...
oh, well....((sigh))...yesterday, I went and dropped off the documents for re-financing one of my debts (they called and offered it, they KNOW I can't pay, so they are willing to bundle all their debt into one, at a lower interest rate, just to get their money back....I hope this goes through!)
Also yesterday, I got a phone call from another cc company, they are offering to consider my accounts "current" (as opposed to past due) if I can make consecutive payments in the next two months (I have been paying them every other month!, so that I can pay for other debts...kinda keep everything in the 30-60 day past due range)...
we'll see how it goes...I just wish the apartment would finally sell, that would really make a difference!!

Today, the nanny came home crying...her 15 year old daughter dropped off her grand-daughter (yes, she had a baby at 14!) at her home and left, supposedly "for good", and said that, if she (the nanny) didn't take the baby, she (daughter) would just give it away to someone else....I just got a phone call, it was the nanny, the daughter came back and said she regrets having left the baby...I told her to keep her at home for today and tell her to wait until I got there. I will try to talk to her...she's just a kid, and she got wooed by this creep - who, of course, has a new girlfriend now! - who even took her to his home and everything....he painted the "ever after" story in such rosy tones...now, of course, he kicked her out of the house....to think she left school (she was doing really well, and wanted to become a nurse) for this guy, makes me sick!....If she stays, nanny will have to take care of her AND the baby....as if she didn't have enough problems trying to raise her other 2 daughters!! (ages 17 and 10)...

so...since my nephew crashed my cousin's car, I let her use mine in the meantime...Part of me said not to do it, maily because HE should have seen how difficult life can be here without a car...but, my cousin is self-employed...she has a small catering/ independent sales business....it is REALLY difficult for her (and dangerous!) to carry her food/merchandise in buses...Why would it have been important (for me) that my nephew had a hard time?? He's 15, and he took my cousin's car without permission...
So, this is another reason I was having second thoughts: I firmly believe he's starting to get involved in drugs...I firmly believe he took his mom's car to go out with some friends to get high...I certainly don't want him taking MY car...
Now, my cousin's car is supposed to be ready tomorrow, so I have insisted that I get it back today (no way I will let my car "sleep" at her house on a Friday!! he might want to "borrow" it...)...
Well, now my car is overheating!!! ...why? Well, I'm not blaming my cousin per se, it's just that she drives more in one day than I do in two weeks...since she has had my car the whole week....it's like saying my car has aged about 2 months in 4 days!!....I KNOW the car would eventually have had this problem...(it HAS happened before...I just don't know how to say it in English) but...probably not until June or so....
So, I KNOW I'm asking for my car back tonight...but, when will I REALLY get it back? (e.g I know it will "sleep" at home tonight, but, instead of driving DD to church and swim lessons tomorrow, I'll most probably end up taking the car to the workshop...and, I somehow don't think I'll get it back tomorrow!!...((sigh)) ....)

Well, my sis got a friend to come over and fix our light switches and also our shower...he "charged" her two breakfasts: one for himself and one for his son, plus babysitting of the little boy while he was fixing things...A great bargain, I'd say! (the boy is a sweetie and well mannered!)...
The mechanic my cousin got me for my car only charged me $15, and now my car works (he said he still has to fix the carburator, so that the car is 100% well, but, in the meantime - he can't come until after Holy Week - it drives fine, only I have to let it run a while in the mornings) ....still, it is saving me a lot of gas!!...I still have 1/4 tank left!! the way it was woking before, I'd be running on empty by now! woo-hoo!!...he says the gas savings will be even better once he finishes with the car! ...I have to remember to fill my tank before Friday, as a $0.04/gallon increase has already been announced... At least, I think this increase will be offset by the car repairs!

Mom had to be admitted to the hospital last week. It shows how broke we are that we put her in a public hospital...so awful...visiting hours are 12-2 and 5-7 only....this is the worst news of the week, of course, but, to top it off, my car wouldn't start this morning...the battery is new, and the lights, blinker, windshield wipers, alarm and horn were working, so it might be the starter...or some other bug in the electrical system....I have friends that are mechanics, but none is a specialist in electrical systems, so I'd rather not risk frying in my car...I have to get a pro!...
the hotel did not want our tamales...
AND, the lesser of all evils plaguing me, our shower broke (we can use the children's bathroom), and the light in the children's bathroom went off (the lightbulb "died", but then, it is STUCK in there...we can't remove it to install a new one!...)
I want a new life!