Time IS Money, At Least For The Girl

Last night I drove to Provo with The Girl and good friend Josh for an open house event for Utah State University.  The Girl has already applied for this college and has had her ACT scores sent there for abou ta year.  Last night gave her the chance to talk with university "ambassadors" from the science department,  housing, student life, and financial aid.  She also spoke with admissions where she turned in her current transcript.

Having the transcript, her ACT scores and her online application already filed, the university was able to figure what kind of academic scholarship she'd qualify for and could even make her an offer on the spot.  The offer?  Full tuition for 4 years and all student fees---about $24,000.

Now this doesn't count the other scholarships she has applied for or already been awarded, not does it count the financial aid/grants she certainly qualifies for due to our family's non-income this year.  Knowing this offer has been formally made now, I have a huge relief that she will be fine as far as getting into and off to school next fall.

I think she is still weighing the University of Utah, but we have yet to visit directly with one of their high school recruiters.  Maybe they will make her an even better offer.  Who knows?  It is just good that after the year we have had some good will come of us not having an income, however small that point might be.

So an offer of $24,000 for about an hour of her time--not counting the application process and all the years of hard work she has put in to her grades, her studies and her academic plans.  But still.  Not a bad day at the office.  Or lab, as the case may be for The Girl.

Makes Cents To Me

I've held my tongue on the political landscapes of late, and today I can do it no more.  This whole brouhaha about the national debt crisis makes me CrAzY!

Now, I've never been an elected public official.  But I have lived more or less on my own for nearly 25 years.    I didn't get a Pell grant for college. I didn't even apply for one. Did I have Family help? YES, of course. 

I do recall MANY lessons on living within my means--which means, at times, were minimal.  I do remember many times when I wished I could just go to Wendy's for burgers and fries with my roommmates, but this was Tuesday evening and I didn't get paid again until Friday, so I stayed home or shared some frieds with my generous friends.

My real life experience tells me that you cannot spend money you don't have.  And I don't mean, you can't spend money you haven't printed yet--because that doesn't work in the real world either.  Not for real people who prefer to stay on the right side of the law.

What makes our esteemed officials think they can spend OUR money--because ultimately we the citizens of the USA (along with our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren) will have to pay for their spending--without any limits?  Why are they so arrogant to think a balanced budget amendment is too difficult or complex for the "little people" of this country to comprehend?

Now, I know the social security folks worry about their funds being touched.  I frankly worry for them too.

I know the medicare folks worry about their benefits being hit.  I understand their worry too.

I definitely see the worry in the faces of military families about their salaries being stopped, all the while they are willing to sacrifice their very lives --as volunteers-- to support the cause of freedom throughout the globe. Yet those who ultimately control their destinies hold the purse strings in a very protected and secure location.

The way I see it, this is the most marvelous, blessed country in the world. We should be able to take care of our own--but needn't include the rest of the world when our own house is in disarray.  We need to put some things straight here first--with that being the initial priority--before we save the world from their issues.

Yes, I know the nation's economy is tied to all other economies.  This is a world wide issue, that is true.  But if we are so screwed up at home, our problems will only bleed out into the world's issues unless we can stem the tide of trouble.

All I am asking for is a little more sense of cooperation, and a little less sense of partisan politics; a little more common sense (which is becoming less common as this crisis lingers) and a little less sense of superiority--especially from special interest groups who are lookiong out for themselves only.  We need a little more national self-control and a little less "buy a little love" behavior.

This whole situation calls to mind the question: How far out of reality are these elected officials?  Do they run their own households this same way?  Do they answer to their constituents or their afflilated  party? 

Perhaps the notions of (1) limited terms of service--so they can work in real life a while before and after public life and be personally responsible for their own retirement savings and medical care (just like the rest of us),  (2) paying the government leaders the median income of their home state--including the required taxes, insurance fees, and costs of living--and then seeing what kind of legislation they pass to affect regular people, (3) immediately curtailing the special interest groups and lobbyists access to the lawmakers, (4) a limited six month window of campaigning so some work might actually get done by these Representatives who otherwise spend 75-90% of their two year term on the campaign trail, and (5) implementing the Constitution and its amendments as the basis of all legislation have met their time.

I can't do what they do on a national scale and have my family survive.  I think they all need a reality check.  And I don't mean one you can cash at the bank.

Just Giving It Away

As the PTA fiscal year finally comes to a close, I got to do a fun thing today. I got to prepare the letters and paperwork to finally give away the scholarship money to the three Council PTA Scholarship winners.

Of course, it isn't my own money, but it still feels pretty good to give it away.

These three students filled out an application and wrote an essay about what PTA has meant to them and to their families. The winners were selected back in April and the award were formally given then. But this weekend I get to send the checks to the universities where these kids are enrolled for the fall.

I wish we had more students apply but it isn't a well known scholarship, apparently. The students must be a PTSA member to be eligible but other than that there is no pre-requisite for their moms to have sold their soul to the volunteering spirit that is the PTA vortex. But it is fun when we see other PTA moms' kids apply. The selection is done anonymously, and the essays are read to a committee of about 12 people. Points are given for the student's involvement in extra curricular pursuits, GPA, and of course the essay.

$1500 goes pretty fast in chunks of $500 a pop. But it is a great feeling, especially if it isn't my money directly. I feel like a pretty steward of it when we award it to great kids.

Get Real!

Last night, or later afternoon, I was pooped out and sat down to veg out. Mindlessly, I flipped the TV on and surfed around until I caught a show called "Say YES to the Dress". This is a reality show on TLC and gives the viewer a glimpse of brides trying to choose a wedding gown in some big fancy-pants New York bridal salon.

Holy Cow! I knew I lived in the ghetto, but this was like viewing activity on another planet. It was like a train wreck; I couldn't look away. And it was a marathon day of this show. Half hour after half hour. Bride after bride...one train wreck after another.

First of all, is this what wedding dresses really cost?! There was one Jewish Princess who had special ordered a dress that cost, I kid you not, $20,000. And this diva had the chutzpah to change her mind and decided she didn't like her designer, made to order gown. Oy!

Another bride came in with her family in preparation for her own Big Fat Greek Wedding. She tried on a gown that she had been obsessing about. The price tag? $24,500. Then her parents try to bargain the sales ladies down by offering to buy the floor sample dress but only want to pay $10,000. ('ONLY' I say here because that was their term.) Yikes!

Is this what the young women of America are using as the basis for their entitlement behaviors? None of these girls would have lasted one week with my sister and me growning up. And they wouldn't make it here either.

I feel bad that these families are choosing to enable this kind of materialism in their daughters. Even the brides that were trying to keep in a budget were talking about budgets of $5,000. Holy Cow!

No wonder the world is in such a mess. Makes me fall back on the old adage: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without". That gives me more mileage than a designer gown, of tulle and satin, trimmed and beaded to kingdom come.

4H and a Hog-Raising Girl

http://static.dispatch.com/www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/17/hog-wildnot-this-girl.html

Holy Cow, or should I say, HOG! Here is a girl I can relate to. Well, almost.

I sure loved hearing about this girl as opposed to the thousands of other inflated ego toting, entitlement attitude teens in the world today. Sure wish there were more like this one.

More importantly, I hope I am raising two to be more like this girl.

Off Base?

Yesterday I received a baby shower invitation from our niece-in-law for a shower she is hosting for our niece. Normally, The Girl and I would be thrilled to be going to such an event. But this one doesn't have me in that sort of mood.

I guess my biggest problem is that, as a bargain shopper, I tend to seek out and find gifts that are significantly less costly than they appear and I feel like I am giving a quality gift for a fraction of the price. That is the fun in bargain shopping for me, anyway. Apparently, between myself and this generation of nieces something has switched.

Our NIL has invited all the family members on both sides of this new little family to dole out $25-$50 each to put toward the niece's "baby room". Her goal is to collect enough money to purchase a new crib and changing table and then "let her friends" buy up all the little things a nursery needs.

Well, I had two children. We had a no frills crib, that we later passed on to someone else who needed it, and there was no "changing table". Instead, we found a real sturdy microwave stand that worked great as a diaper storage unit and changing table. In fact, it was so sturdy that is now serving as a bed-side table for Genius Golfer--holding a plethora of items in the drawer and storing many blankets and quilts in the cabinet below.

I never would have expected my family outfitting the whole nursery. Especially at the premium prices she is talking about. I knew I was expecting a baby for 8 months--The Girl was 5 weeks early--and I knew when we got pregnant that this child would be our responsibility, as we were her parents. I knew what we could afford, and we carefully and thoughtfully bought was was necessary, but it was pretty plain Jane. The baby couldn't care less.

Where does that responsibility to provide the necessities give way to wanting fancy pants baby gear paid for by others? Even to the point of nearly demanding it in a cute invitation poem? I'm at a loss here. I feel like I am being held hostage to supply unreasonable remands. Besides, I sort of enjoy shopping for baby stuff, especially as I don't get to do it very often. Now, this way, I am mandated to give money, rather than choose something of my liking and within my budget.

I recall my parents buying The Girl's microwave stand and a dresser, but I don't remember asking them for that. We graciously accepted that as a gift to their granddaughter, and later the grandson. Mom, am I wrong there?

As it is, I have a basketball assignment for the Young Women in our stake the day of the shower, so I am not going to make it after all. And I think I will drop off the little outfit I had already picked out for the baby and a book I picked up on a screaming deal and call it good. They can call me a bad Auntie. I think I am OK with that.