I was up early...to check Rome's list this morning. They finally updated and no decision on Hicham's case.

I've heard a nasty rumor that they are only working on May applications right now and since they did not log ours in until August 1st (it was sent from Casa June 14th, go figure), we may be in for a four month wait. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If that is the case, then that will definitely push us to the 4 year mark. Sometimes I wonder if they are really trying to drive us insane.

After a HELLISH two weeks of work (a co-worker has been on vacation), I'm taking me and our son to the beach for the weekend to just relax and get the last bit of beach in for the season.

I hope everyone has a better Friday than how mine has started.

I should have waited.....good morning!

Allousa-I can't believe I never read through your signature, what a story. I 'm so sorry that is happening to you guys.

Ack! Two friday lists!! Oh well, will post in both


Good morning everyone!!! Wake up you sleepy heads, it's friday!

Allousa: I'm so sorry to hear about no decision yet. Hang in there and remember that rumors are only rumors, don't let yourself get too worked up about it yet. Your case is just awaiting the final decision, maby that makes a difference?

am i seeing double today??lol Another T.G.I.F!! It looks like another weekend for raking up leaves. I hope everybody has a great Friday!

Have a great Friday everyone!

Good morning everyone, I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend!!

looks like i'll be doing the same, but i cheat - i have this doohicky that i pull around with the riding mower that picks them up

this pic is quite similar to it



happy friday all

awwww....I think the woman across the street had her baby last night. This morning I left to drop the kids off and when I got back there's a nana-looking woman sitting on the front steps with their 2 year old girl and a dog out in front that was never there before. (must be the nana's doggie) Reminds me of when my mom came over at 6am to be with my oldest so that I could go have my youngest daughter.

Hi Allousa, good morning and i am so sorry to hear ur lil story, this is sad. just keep urself up and dont get down, oneday insha'allah both of u will be with each other i cant tell u when but hopefully SOON, insha'allah.

Good morning everyone!

Allousa, I really hope it's just what you said it was--a nasty rumor! Let's hope there's no truth to it and good luck!!!




awww....I want a baby! It's weird seeing some of my friends having their first baby (some their second ) and some days I feel like I'm behind but no way in hell am I actually ready to have one yet....(is anyone ever ready???)

Yea, 3-day weekend

Thanks for the support everybody! You guys are awesome!

I just hope it's real soon. I really want Hicham here before our son turns 2. We just miss each other so much. It's been a year since we've seen each other and I had planned to go again this November, but with the decision coming so soon, we have to save the money for tickets for when he comes home. Our attorney suggested that I fly with him when he comes back into the U.S. Just for safe measure. And I know that Hicham would be more at ease if I were with him.


Sparrow - about having kids, I think most parents here would agree with me that no matter how much you plan, you won't EVER be ready. It's the HARDEST thing that I've ever done in my life, but the GREATEST all at the same time. All you can do is fasten your seat belt and get prepared for a wild ride!!!!

I really wish you and Ramy all the best and I'm excited for your upcoming wedding.

How is your grandmother doing?


DOODLE - how are you today? I don't know how much your pity party helped. Not going to go there!

I think it was a silly rumor too and I think the next update will have your case as being done. I can feel it!!!!!!

I'm doing better thanks. Wow a year without seeing him? last night Usama asked if I can come again in December. I hated to tell him no but there just isn't any money in the pot for that if we're going to be able to afford to fly him here AND get the tubal reversal done. He was so down and out about it all. I think it has to do with it being Ramadan and remembering his dad dying last year too. It's weird how when I'm down he's up and vice versa. I almost wish I hadn't gone in July now so that i could actually go in December.

Sippin' a triple grande caramel macchiato but i'm ticked 'cause there was no foam in it. what's up with THAT?????? Workin' from home today. Gotta pick the little one up from school later and bring her to her sister's field hockey game and then their dad will pick them up for the weekend from there so it's a kid-free weekend for me to do with what I wish!! I'll be going to a sister's group at my local mosque tomorrow and then off to the fabric store to make my patriots and red sox hijabs.

Don't worry about this. Every government agency has a window of time that is used to meet "efficiently" standards. It doesnt mean they are only working on petitions from 5 months ago. I think it means the normal maximum time would be applications from May.

I'm assuming this from looking at USCIS timelines and other agencies that service public applications. I imagine the state department follows similar guildlines. Im trying to positive this morning...not sure if its working.

Your optimism is appreciated...really, it is.

Through all of this, the one thing that I have learned is that the timelines are never for certain. With our case, it has seemed to take longer...

BUT....we've finally made it to the end, which I have to be glad about that. It seemed like we would never get to this point. It's just been so hard because I'm usually planning a trip for November to see him. GOD...I miss him!!!!

The list won't be updated again until October 19th...so....I'll just have to keep plugging along.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Allousa my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hugs,

Ayesha

Happy Friday to all


Allousa, maybe you will have an answer by October 19th

goooooooooo ROME!

Well I'm screwed. I just now (3 months into being single) realized that my monthly expenses are equal to what I bring home

If any month I don't get a commission check, I am in the red. grrrrrr Time to ask for my dowry Was that one gold lira or a goat?

Jackie

Well can you trade the goat in for the cow that goes on top of our roof????? That way you can sell the milk that Amal gets along with the veggies the fertilizer will help grow!

Jackie do you rent or own your house? Maybe you could find a nice appartment or smaller house to help save money.

Rent, and it is already small. To pay less in rent would put me in a not safe area. I don't want to live in an apartment with annoying neighbors.

So, I have come up with some thoughts. Second job. I could work weekend nights somewhere. I could move in a roomate. (last thing in the world I want) I could .........hmm....any suggetions? I can defer 2 car payments, that will help for the moment. I am just freakin out because I did not ship enough this month to get a commission check in October. I can cancel cable, I don't watch tv much. (dont' touch my internet ) I just got a new WAMU credit card for $1500. That will help with something. I so did not see this coming. I hate being the adult.

Jackie
I carry 4 sacks

first to go for me was cable/or dish, newspaper everyday, change all phones to cheapest services, consolidate cards to lower interest, i changed degrees of car and house insurances to make payments lower, no shopping, etc watch food buying, hope you win the lottery (if enought to get the ticket) ha its no fun for sure

If you don't watch too much TV then you should probably cancel your service. What else? Do you have a landline phone and a cell phone? If so then you could just use your cell phone. You could do a roomate to make some extra money and it might be nice to have someone you like in the house with you.

I would LUV to see a pic of the Red Sox hijab.....but not the Patriots....no offense...hee hee!!!!!

Hi Allousa Im sooooo sorry , I hope sooo much the tide turns in your favor and soon, They always exagerate on the time lines so maybe thats the case in Rome too.

My puppy continues to improve she almost attemted to jump on the bed today good sign. Still scared though this is just a calm in the storm and the nasty syptoms may return as of yet it's all a mystery.....

No word from Cairo ...suprise suprise... since my dog got sick worrying about the visa has disappeared and its felt great....

Have a great weekend everybody
Sparrow hows your grandma, whens her next surgery?

Dropping the land line is an excellent idea. This is what I've done and that's an easy 40-50 bucks right there! Cancelling cable is a hard one, but if you don't think you'll use either, then perhaps you could do that. I've also tried to buy store brand items while shopping at the grocery and trying to buy things that are on special that I can make a couple of extra meals out of so I could bring 'em for lunch.

I have started to bring my lunch to work everyday and that has saved me almost $60-70 bucks a week. I work in an upscale part of town and lunch is an easy $8-$10.

I'm with you on the room mate thing. I LIKE my own space...so that would definitely be a last resort.

Seems like the price of everything is going up....except our wages! Sorry to hear about this Jackie. I'd definitely be cashing in on the dowry.




What's going on with your pup? Keeping my fingers crossed for you as well! YALLA CAIRO!!!!!

Jackie I've done the roomate thing and OMG I have been able to make a dent in my debt. If you find the right person and have an extra room this really could take the pressure off. I know it's so hard when you just have no wiggle room and it feels you work so hard just to be broke. I love the dowry comment, made me smile

Whenever I've been in a bind here are things that I did:

1) traded in my beloved red toyota sierra for a slightly used (not even 1,000 miles on it!!!) toyota matrix. This allowed me to not only pay off the car loan and own the newer car BUT it also saved me approx $50/week on gas and that was back when gas was only slightly over $2/gallon! It was a blow to my ego but in the end the best decision I have ever made.

2) consolidated my internet/cable tv/phone into a bundled plan. -----i'm thinking of doing this again but this time doing satellite/vios/cellphone once my contract with cingular is up.

3) moved my mortg payment up to the last possible day i can pay without incurring a late charge. this gave me approx two more weeks of my money. you're in a rental situation though so not sure if you can do this at all.

4) utilities were my last priority for payment. I would pay them but only when I absolutely had to i.e. they were gonna shut me off if I didn't and then only enough to keep it going. I did this because they don't appear on your credit report so no harm is done to your credit at all.

5) only pay minimum on the credit cards until you have enough cash to breath (this is normally BAAAAD advice but we're talking sink or swim situation not long term financial planning right now)

6) make your own coffee and bring it in a travel mug instead of doing dunkin's or starbucks and definitely bring your own lunch. That's an easy $70/week savings right there for me.

7) whatever you can stand buying in no name brands, do it and go to the cheapest ever grocery store you have. For me it's Market Basket shopping as opposed to Whole Foods. It's a joke with my daughters and I that when we head into Market Basket the kids go ,"uh oh mom's low on cashola this week!!!"

8) keep eating out at a bare minimum. Don't totally deny yourself but instead of a few nights/week make it a few nights/month and then it will seem like more of a treat.

I'll think of others later but that is all I can think of for now.

Hicham and I spend a loooot of money on dining out and we are really working on eating at home more often. Starbucks is a killer along with going out to lunch while at work. Bringing a lunch is so much cheaper! If you do eat out then save your left overs for lunch the next day so you get two meals out of one.

I know it's not fun having a roomate but if you interview enough people to find the right person then it could really work in your favor both financially and socially. It might help you feel better and get out more and have someone to hang out with!

These two things have realllllllllly helped me save more money (and when I'm low on cash, I go to Market Basket too! it's the cheapest around here...). Some other things I try to do are:

- use up unused/unopened lotions/chap sticks/body gels etc... I tend to go out and buy these things before i look to see if i have any at home and i have been able to live for a YEAR on the stuff that i already had under my sink

- if i desperately need new clothes, only shop the sale rack. i also shop in my own closet. things that i haven't worn in year i suddenly love again.

- bring leftovers to work for lunch, drink the free coffee, not the good stuff you have to pay for

- eat EVERYTHING edible in my cabinets before i go grocery shopping

- public transportation baby... if i can walk or take the train i do.. also, living in boston, it saves not only on gas but also $ for parking and is a lot less stressful

- we don't eat out. we eat out about once a month. that includes take out

- working at an investment firm in retirement services i should totally NOT be giving this advice or admitting that i do this, but when i'm really strapped for cash i reduce the percent taken out of my paycheck for my 401(k) by 1%... it's not much, but it gives you some room to breath... but you have to make sure that you put it back up when you're ok again


if we were desperate for cash i would totally get a roommate. thats EASILY $600-$800 a month where we live AND you get to split the utilities with them. but then you're stuck with them if you emerge from your financial rut. but it might be nice to have someone around.

While sipping my hot chocolate I declare I am the master of saving money cuz I'm a poor college student. Hee Hee Hee

When I needed money I picked up a paper route as a substitute driver. Which means you get more money for every paper you deliver because you're subbing routes for people. You get to wear what you want, have your own hours, work when you want, and be your own boss. In one night substituting I can make $150 cash in hand because the driver you're subbing for pays you. Don't be a regular route delievery person because you have to work 7 days a week and it's balls to the wall. They're always needing breaks.

You're taxes will be filed differently so save every reciept on bags and bands you spend, and keep track of the mileage of you routes because you get .44 reimbursement for every mile and you're going to need that on the longer business routes.

Hope that helps. It's great in a pinch when you don't want the regular work for the man job and you need cash now type situation.

some more stuff for jackie:
pay bills online if possible - that saves on stamps. also, i'm so cheap that when i do have to mail a payment, i'll send several payments worth to have a credit and not have to use a stamp the next month or so.

car trips - plan those - if you drive by the place you shop for food on the way to and from work, stop off on the way back from work and do your food shopping to save the gas from just going from home to there and back.

drink more water - it's cheaper than buying soft drinks etc.

winter is approaching - lower the thermostat and wear more clothes.

laundry - wash only full loads.

the phone ideas mentioned above are good - but also take a look at the plan you have for your cell. if you pay for 750 anytime minutes a month and only use 350, maybe switching to a plan with less minutes is a good idea financially.

getting rid of cable is a good idea if you don't watch it much. an inside tv antenna can pick up local channels.

i hate to be the bearer of bad news but if your divorce is final before the end of the year you'll have to claim filing single instead of married, which is a higher tax bracket. take this into account, it may well be worth going for a jan divorce date. a second job may well be a good idea, and change those deductions now to ease the pain of 15 april if the final date is before 31 dec.

I would never pay bills months in advance. Why would I want my money sitting with the gas company instead of in my bank account?

in the case above i cited, that applies to the water bill (usually $40 a month) and the electric bill (50-150 a month depending on season). i don't believe i'll make .80 cents interest on $90 more in my account for one month.

Nope! You just start to get ready when the baby is in your arms for the first time. And you figure it out day by day and year by year...and hopefully they grow up just fine, with no ill effects.

i do this... saves a bunch on oil. i also have a digital thermostat and i set it on a timer so it goes off while i'm sleeping and off while i'm at work.. i can set it to turn on a little bit before i wake up/get home from work so the house isn't freezing when i get home

i do that too, at night it drops to 62 and stays there for about 16 hours, then warms up just before nessa or i get home. i figure why bother heating the house up just for the 30-60 min we're here getting ready for work?

OH I forgot...if I didn't have to feed the kids I could totally do Ramen chicken soup or Kraft mac n cheese most nights for dinner!!!

Thanks everyone for your thoughts & prayers still!

My grandmother did not have the second surgery as planned today. The doctor said he might hold off on the second one because it can be done with an endoscope (sp) at a later date (she still has a blocked bile duct). She had a real nasty infection too but I won't go into too much detail because it's dinner time and people are eating birthday cake and all that!

Things are looking pretty good but she's not out of the woods yet!


And Jackie--definitely be careful when you're filing taxes next year; my mom got socked with a whole bunch of taxes when I was no longer a full-time student and she couldn't file for head-of-household anymore.

And if you don't watch TV, there's always YouTube . We don't have cable. I can't think of much else for advice there that everyone else hasn't said already but I do know some real cheap recipes! Like egg drop soup...